Multi-speed pulling apparatus



June 1966 T. G. WILLIAMS MULTI-SPEED PULLING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1965 INVENTOR THOMAS G. WILLIAMS w 7 7aza7u.

ATTORNEYS June 28, 1966 T. G. WILLIAMS MULTI-SPEED PULLING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 10, 1965 ATTORNEYS June 1966 'r. G. WILLIAMS MULTI-SPEED PULLING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 10, 1965 INVENTOR THOMAS G. WILLIAMS BY )W aZZQZ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,258,249 MULTI-SPEED PULLING APPARATUS Thomas G. Williams, Newport News, Va., assiguor to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Va., a corporation of Virginia Filed Aug. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 478,567 13 Claims. (Cl. 254-488) The present invention relates to new and novel multispeed pulling apparatus, and more particularly to pulling apparatus especially adapted for use with heavy lift gear employed on cargo ships and the like.

The multi-speed pulling apparatus of the present invention incorporates an arrangement wherein the heavy lift gear or cargo boom of a ship may be adjusted for use of the gear with different loads. The cargo boom may have a maximum rating such as 70 tons or the like, but in many instances it is desired to employ the heavy lift gear with smaller loads. The disadvantage of employing the ordinary large booms for smaller loads is the fact that the apparatus is adapted to operate only at a single speed, and when employing the heavy lift gear with smaller loads, the loads are moved at unnecessarily low speeds.

Accordingly, the present invention has been particularly designed to enable the hoisting and lowering speeds to be greatly increased when utilizing the gear with smaller loads. This saves a substantial amount of time and expense in handling such smaller loads. The structure of the present invention enables the gear to be readily converted for use with different loads and at different operating speeds.

The pulling apparatus of the present invention is especially adapted for use with cargo handling apparatus such as shown in US. Patent No. 3,110,403 which discloses an arrangement whereby a heavy lift boom maybe readily moved between a pair of king posts for operation with a hold either forward or aft of the boom and the associated king posts. The improvement of the present invention enables the operation of this type of cargo handling apparatus with different loads and at different speeds.

In the present invention, the cargo fall means includes a first or upper block means and a second or lower block means. This block means includes a plurality of sheaves all of which are mounted for rotation about a common axis. On the other hand, the second block means includes a first separate block and a second separate block each of which includes a plurality of sheaves mounted for rotation about a common axis on the associated block, the two separate blocks being interconnected in a unique manner.

A connector means in the form of .a flat plate is provided, each of the first separate block and second separate block being pivotally and detachably connected with the connector means, the connection being such that the sheaves of said first separate block are mounted for rotation about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the axis about which the sheaves of the second separate block rotate. In other words, the first separate block and the second separate block are connected at substantially right angles to one another. This is an important feature of the present invention and is necessary in order to provide spacing and orientation of the various sheaves of the second block means so that the wire rope or the like interconnecting the various sheaves of the cargo fall means may be properly reeved without interference with one another.

Securing means is also provided for selectively holding one of the separate blocks after it has been disconnected from said connector means, this securing means immobilizing one of the separate blocks and permitting the apparatus to operate at a substantially increased speed at lower loads.

In addition to the above-described structure, the load support means in the form of a hook or the like is pivotally interconnected with the connector means. This load support means is also connected with the connector means in a particular relationship with respect to the first and second separate blocks.

One of the separate blocks may have more sheaves mounted thereon than the other of the separate blocks. In this case, the load support means is connected with the connector means such that it is nearer to the separate block with the greater number of sheaves rotatably supported thereon. In addition, the spacing of the point of connection of the load support means with respect to the point of connection of the first and second separate blocks to the connector means is in proportion to the number of sheaves on the first and second separate blocks. This particular relationship is important in order to provide equal frictional forces on the various portions of the wire rope reeved over the sheaves of the cargo fall means, and this particular spacing of the points of connection ensures that the wire rope means will have a substantially equal frictional engagement with each of the various sheaves to thereby provide a balanced systern.

An object of the present invention is to provide new and novel multi-speed pulling apparatus which is especial- 1y adapted for use with heavy lift gear as employed on cargo ships and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide multispeed pulling apparatus which permits adjustment for use of the apparatus with different loads.

A further object of the invention is to provide multispeed pulling apparatus wherein the hoisting and lowering speeds may be substantially increased to save time and expense in handling loads.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of multi-speed pulling apparatus which can be readily converted for use with different loads and at different speeds in a minimum of time and in a simple manner.

Still another object of the invention is to provide multispeed pulling apparatus which is quite simple and inexpensive in construction, and yet which is at the same time etficient and reliable in use.

Other objects and many attendant advantages of the invention will become more apparent when considered in connection with the specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the multi-speed pulling apparatus of the present invention as employed with shipboard heavy lift gear;

FIG. 2 is a schematic reeving diagram of the apparatus as rigged for one phase of operation;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the apparatus as rigged for a particular type of operation;

FIG. 4 is a further schematic reeving diagram;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view of the lower or second block means of the cargo fall means rigged for one phase of operation;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the structure shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the lower or second block means rigged for another phase of operation; and

FIG. 8 is a side view of the structure shown in FIG. 7.

Referring now the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the apparatus of the present invention is illustrated as mounted upon a conventional cargo ship having a winch house indicated generally by reference numeral 20 of conventional construction which supports the apparatus of the present invention. It should be understood that holds are provided both fore and aft of the winch house, and the heavy lift gear mechanism is adapted to be employed usual ships gear for loading and discharging cargo would also be mounted on and adjacent to the winch house, but this conventional gear has been eliminated from the drawings for the sake of simplicity.

A pair of king posts 22 and 24 extend upwardly from the winch house 20, the king posts being spaced apart athwart ships and being of a symmetrical tapered configuration. A pair of laterally inwardly projecting lead block brackets 26 and 28 are fixed respectively to the upper ends of king posts 22 and 24. Single topping lift lead blocks 30 and 32 are movably supported from brackets 26 and 28 respectively.

A pair of swivel members 34 and 36 are rotatably supported on suitable upwardly extending journal portions provided at the top of the king posts 22 and 24 respectively. A pair of multiple sheave topping lift king post blocks 38 and 40 are provided, block 38 including a pair of spaced members 38 which are pivotally supported about a pivot axis 42 on the swivel member 34. In a similar manner, block 40 is provided with spaced members 40' which are pivotally supported about an axis 44 on the swivel member 36. In this manner, the topping lift king 'post blocks are pivotally supported by the respective swivel members which are in turn rotatably supported at the upper ends of the king posts.

A heavy lift boom is provided, the boom having a lower or heel portion indicated generally by reference numeral 52 which is substantially universally mounted upon a boom pedestal indicated by reference numeral 54. The universal mounting of the heel portion of the boom may be substantially the same as that disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,110,403. The boom pedestal is disposed at a central portion of the winch house, and the vertical axis of rotation of the support for the heel portion of the boom is disposed along a center line passing through the longitudinal axes of the two king posts 22 and 24.

The head portion of the boom is indicated generally by reference numeral 60, and a cargo fall support means 62 comprising a sleeve or tubular portion is received on the head portion of the boom, this cargo fall support means being rotatably supported at the head portion of the boom but fixed against movement longitudinally thereof. Means 62 includes a pair of laterally extending ears 64, and an upper or first block means indicated by reference numeral 66 is supported from portion 64 by means of a pair of members 68 extending from the first block means 66 and pivotally interconnected with portion 64 by a pin 70 extending through suitable holes provided in member 64 as well as members 68.

A topping lift attachment means indicated by reference numeral 74 is fixedly secured to the head portion of the boom and includes a pair of oppositely extending ears 76 each having a hole formed therethrough for connecting topping lift boom head blocks thereto as hereinafter described. The arrangement of the cargo fall support means and topping lift attachment means at the head portion of the boom is similar in operation to that shown in US. Patent No. 3,110,403.

A multiple sheave topping lift boom head block 80 is connected by means of members 82 to a loop member 84 which extends through the hole in one of ears '76 of the topping lift attachment means, loop member 84 being pivotally interconnected with members 82 so that block 80 is swivelly connected to the associated ear of the topping lift attachment means. In a similar manner, another multiple sheave topping lift boom head block '86 is swivelly interconnected with the opposite ear of the top ping lift attachment means.

A topping lift cable is reeved through topping lift blocks 80, 40 and 32 and passes downwardly and is connected either directly to a topping winch 92 or through a fair lead and thence to the winch. Another topping lift cable 94 is reeved through topping lift blocks 86, 38 and 30 and directly to the second topping lift winch tion of legs 144' and the connecting plate.

96 or through a suitable fair lead and thence to the topping winch. It is apparent that the topping lifts are topping lifts are attached to the tops of the king posts in such a manner that a wide range of operation is provided from forward-and-outboard to any inboard angle to aftand-outboard.

The cargo fall means includes a second or lower block means indicated generally by reference numeral 100 in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, this lower block means including a pair of separate blocks 102 and 104. Each of separate blocks 102 and 104 may be a multi-sheave block, block 102 in the illustrated embodiment having three sheaves 106, 108 and 110 rotatably supported thereby for rotation about the longitudinal axis of a pin 112 supported by the block.

The other separate block 104 may have a pair of sheaves 116 and 118 rotatably supported thereby for rotation about the longitudinal axis of a pin 120 supported by the block.

A cargo fall cable or rope means 124 is reeved through the upper and lower block means 66 and 100 and thence downwardly through a cargo purchase lead block 126 and a second lead block 128 to a cargo winch 130. It should be noted that the cargo purchase lead block 126 is disposed abreast the heel of the boom and is disposed substantially along a center line extending between the longitudinal axes of the king posts. The boom is adapted to be shifted between the king posts for operation at either a forward or aft hold in a manner similar to that described in US. Patent 3,110,403. Suitable guide means in the form of pad eyes or the like may be secured to the upper surface of the winch house for use with a pendant or the like when pulling the cargo hook hereinafter described through between the boom and king posts when shifting the boom between the king posts.

As seen particularly in FIGS. 5 and 6, a connecting link 134 is pivotally interconnected with the lower end of block 102 by means of a pin 136. Connecting link 134 includes downwardly extending spaced legs 134' which are pivotally interconnected with a connector means 138 in the form of a flat generally triangular plate by means of a pin 140 extending through suitable holes provided in leg portions 134' and the connector plate 138. This pin 140 is removable, and any suitable means may be provided for selectively securing it in place when in the operative position shown.

A connecting link 144 is pivotally connected with the lower end of separate block 104 by means of a pivot pin 146. Link 144 includes a pair of depending spaced legs 144 which are pivotally interconnected with connector plate 138 by means of a removable pin 148 passing through suitable openings provided in the lower por- Pin 148 is also selectively removable and may be secured in position by any desired means.

A cargo hook or load support means is indicated generally by reference numeral 150 and may comprise a conventional Flemish hook or the like. The upper portion 152 of the load support means is bifurcated to provide a pair of spaced legs 152 which are pivotally interconnected with the lower portion of the connector plate 138 by means of a pin 154. This pin need not necessarily'be removable and may serve to permanently interconnect the cargo hook with the connector means.

Referring particularly to FIG. 5, the novel manner in which the various components are connected with the connector means may be clearly seen. The separate blocks 102 and 104 are each detachably connected with the connector means, and when attached thereto are disposed at substantially right angles to one another, or in other words, the axis of rotation of the sheaves of block 102 which coincides with the longitudinal axis of pin 112 extends in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the sheaves of block 104 which coincides with the longitudinal axis of pin 120.

As mentioned previously, by so disposing the two separate blocks with respect to one another, the required degree of clearance of the cargo fall cable 124 is provided.

In addition, it will be noted that the point of pivotal interconnection of the load support means to the connector means is located in a specific relationship to the points of pivotal interconnection of the two separate blocks. As seen in FIG. 5, three phantom lines have been drawn vertically through the central axes of pins 140, 148 and 154. A distance a indicates the spacing between the interconnection of block 102 and the cargo hook, and the distance 12 indicates the spacing between the points of interconnection of the cargo hook and the block 104. In the. particular modification illustratjed herein, block 102 has three sheaves rotatably supported thereby, and block 104 has two sheaves rotatably supported thereby. It is accordingly evident that block 102 has three-fifths of the total number of sheaves of the lower block means, while block 104 has two-fifths of the total number of sheaves of the lower block means.

The distance a comprises two-fifths of the total horizontal distance between pins 140 and 143, and the distance b comprises three-fifths of the total distance between pins 140 and 148, or three-fifths of the distance a plus b. It is accordingly apparent that the point of interconnection of the connector means is spaced so that it is nearer to the point of connection of the separate block having the greater number of sheaves, and that the distances a and b as shown on FIG. 5 are governed by the relative number of sheaves on the two separate blocks. Therefore, the spacing of the load support means as discussed above is proportional to the number of sheaves in each of the separate blocks. In the present example, the distances a and b are two-fifths and three-fifths of the total distance between pins 140 and 148, it being apparent that the proportions of these distances may change according to the proportional of the total number of sheaves carried by each of the separate blocks 102 and 104. This particular spacing of the point of interconnection of the load support means is important in providing an equal frictional loading on the various portions of the cargo fall cable in engagement with the various sheave-s of the blocks 102 and 104.

It will be understood that the upper block means 66 includes tfive separate shea'ves, these five separate sheaves of the upper block means being indicated !by reference numerals 160, 16-2, 164, i166 and 168 in the schematic reeving diagram shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawings.

FIG. 1 of the drawings shows the apparatus rigged for operation at full load which in the present instance may comprise 70 tons. With this arrangement, the two separate blocks 102 and 104 are each pivotally interconnected with the connector means 138. In FIG. 3, the apparatus is illustrated as rigged for operation as a 28- ton boom which is two-fifths of the total load handling capacity of the boom. In order to operate as a 28- ton boom, the separate block 102 is disconnected from the connector plate 138 so that the connector plate will move into the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, separate block 102 is immobilized or held in place. The securing means for holding one of the separate blocks in place includes as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 an attaching lug 170 secured to the boom pedestal 54, a cable 174 being attached to lug i170 and having at the other end thereof a hook 176 which is adapted to be connected with the pin detachably secured to the lower end of one of the blocks. As seen in FIG. 3, hook 176 is shown as being interengaged with the pin 140 at the lower end of block 102. With this interengagement, block 102 is held in place while separate block '104 is adapted to operate at a considerably increased speed to lift a smaller load as indicated by reference numeral 170 than can be lifted with the boom rigged as shown in FIG. 1 wherein a larger lead 172 is illustrated.

Referring now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, a reeving diagram is illustrated, the cargo Ifiall cable [[24 passing over the central sheave 164 of the upper block means 66 and thence about the various sheaves in sequence as indicated by numbers 1-010 and the arrows in this reeving diagram, the end of the cable finally :being secured to a depending hook member 176 on the upper block means 66. It will be understood that in the reeving diagram shown in FIG. 4, the separate block 102 rotatably supporting sheaves 106, 108 and 1:10 is restrained from movement by the securing means, while the other separate block is free to move.

Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the reeving diagram illustrates the apparatus rigged for operation as a 42-ton boom wherein the separate block 104 having sheaves 1'16 and 118 rotatably supported therein is held against movement by the securing means, and the other separate block 1102 having the sheaves 106, 108 and 110 rotatably supported thereby is free to move.

The reeving of the cargo tall cable is such that the various parts of the cargo fall lead fair to the respective sheaves and when one of the separate blocks 102 or 104 is held against movement by the securing means, the parts of the fall will not foul one another.

If the apparatus is rigged for operation as a 70-ton boom, and it is desired for example to operate as a 28- ton boom, the boom is first topped up and the lower or second block means is lowered so that the base of the Flemish hook comes to rest on the top of the Winch house. This relieves the strain on the removable pin attachment of separate block 102 so that block 102 can then be detached from the connector means 138. Block 102 is then attached to the securing means as shown in FIG. 3. If the boom is again to be rigged for handling at 70 tons, these steps are merely reversed. It will be understood that a similar procedure will be employed for disconnect-ing separate block 104 from the connector means and attaching it to' the securing means when the apparatus is to be rigged for operation as a 42-ton boom.

It is apparent from the foregoing that there is provided according to the present invention mult-i-speed pulling apparatus which is especially adapted for use with the heavy lift gear employed on cargo ships and the like. The arrangement of the present invention permits adjustment of the apparatus for use with different loads, and means is provided for increasing the hoisting and lowering speeds to thereby save considerable time and expense in handling loads. It is obvious that when operating either as a 28-ton boom or a 42-ton boom as described in the previous examples, the hoisting and lowering speeds will be considerably increased. It will of course be understood that the particular loads described for the purpose of illustration are merely by way of example and different loads and hoisting and lowering speeds may be obtained by varying the number of sheaves employed in the various block means of the invention. The apparatus of the present invention can be readily converted for use at dilferent speeds with different loads in a minimum amount of time and in a simple manner simply by connecting and disconnecting the removable pin means which connect the separate blocks with the connector means, and by attaching the securing means to one of the separate blocks. is quite simple and inexpensive in construction, and yet is quite efiicient and reliable in use.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, and since the scope of the invention is defined .by the appended claims, all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

The apparatus I claim:

1. Multi-speed pulling apparatus comprising first block means, second block means including a first separate block and a second separate block, rope means reeved about said first and second block means for operatively connecting said block means, and connector means for connecting said first and second separate blocks with one another, said first and second separate blocks being interconnected at a generally right angle with respect to one another.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said first separate block and said second separate block is detachably connected with said connector means so that either of said separate blocks may be readily disconnected from said connector means when desired.

3. Multi-speed pulling apparatus comprising first block means having a plurality of rotatably mounted sheaves all of which are adapted to rotate about a common axis of rotation, second block means including a first separate block and a second separate block, each of said separate blocks including a plurality of rotatably supported sheaves, means reeved about the sheaves of said first and second block means to provide an operative connection therebetween, the sheaves of each separate block being mounted for rotation about a common axis on the associated spearate block, connector means for connecting said separate blocks to one another, each of said separate blocks being detachably connected with said connector means for ready attachment and detachment with respect thereto, the sheaves of said first separate block being mounted for rotation about an axis which extends substantially perpendicular to the axis about which the sheaves of said second separate block rotate, and load support means operatively connected with said connector means.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said load support means is pivotally interconnected with said connector means.

5. Multi-speed pulling apparatus comprising first block means having a plurality of rotatably mounted sheaves all of which are adapted to rotate about a common axis of rotation, second block means including a first separate block and a second separate block, each of said separate blocks including a plurality of rotatably supported sheaves, rope means operatively connecting said first block means with said second block means, the sheaves of each separate block being mounted for rotation about a common axis on the associated separate block, said first separate block having more sheaves rotatably supported thereby than said second separate block, connector means for connecting said separate blocks to one another, each of said separate blocks being detachably connected with said connector means for ready attachment and detachment with respect thereto, the sheaves of said first separate block being mounted for rotation about an axis which extends substantially perpendicular to the axis about which the sheaves of said second separate block rotate, load support means pivotally interconnected with said connector means, said load support means being interconnected with said connector means such that the point of connection of the load support means with the connector means is closer to said first separate block and to said second separate block.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said point of connection of the load support means with the connector means is spaced from the points of connection of the separate blocks with the connector means in proportion to the number of sheaves on each of said separate blocks.

7. Apparatus as definedin claim 5 wherein said connector means comprises a fiat plate means, each of said separate blocks being pivotally interconnected with said connector means by a removable pin means.

8. In shipboard cargo handling apparatus comprising a mast structure, a heavy lift boom having a heel portion and a head portion, means mounting the heel portion of the boom for substantially universal movement, topping lift means connected between said mast structure and said boom, cargo fall support means mounted at the head portion of said boo-m, said cargo fall support means being movably mounted with respect to said head portion, cargo fall means supported by said cargo fall support means, said cargo fall means including first block means swingably connected with said cargofall support means, second block means, the improvement wherein said second block means includes a first separate block and a second separate block, said first block means including a plurality of sheaves rotatably supported thereby for rotation about a common axis of rotation, each of said separate blocks including a plurality of rotatably supported sheaves, rope means reeved about the sheaves of said first and second block means to provide an operative connection therebetween, the sheaves of each separate block means being mounted for rotation about a common axis on the associated separate block, connector means for connecting said separate blocks to one another, each of said separate blocks being detachably connected with said connector means for ready attachment and detachment with respect thereto, the sheaves of said first separate block being mounted for rotation about an axis which extends substantially perpendicular to the axis about which the sheaves of said second separate block rotate, and load support means operatively connected with said connector means.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8 including means for receiving and guiding a portion of said cargo fall means and being offset laterally on only one side of said boom to permit the boom to be moved into any operative position without removing the cargo fall means from the associated receiving and guiding means.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said cargo fall support means is rotatably mounted with respect to the boom but axially fixed with respect thereto.

11. In shipboard cargo handling apparatus comprising a mast structure including a pair of spaced king posts, a heavy lift boom having a heel portion and a head portion, means mounting said heel portion substantially on a center line extending between said king posts for substantially universal movement, topping lift attachment means fixedly secured to the head portion of said boom, topping lift means connected between said king posts and said topping lift attachment means, cargo fall support means mounted at the head portion of said boom and being rotatably mounted with respect to the boom but axially fixed with respect thereto, and cargo fall means supported by said cargo fall support means, said cargo fall means including a first block means swingably connected with said cargo fall support means and having a plurality of sheaves rotatably supported thereby, all of said sheaves being mounted for rotation about a common axis of rotation, second block means, the improvement wherein said second block means includes a first separate block and a second separate block, each of said first separate block and said second separate block having a plurality of sheaves rotatably supported thereon, the sheaves of each of said separate blocks being mounted for rotation about a common axis of the associated separate block, rope means reeved over the sheaves of said first block means and said second block means to provide an operative connection therebetween, connector means, each of said first separate block and said second separate block being pivotally and detachably connected with said connector means, said first separate block and said second separate block being connected together such that the sheaves of said first separate block are adapted to rotate about an axis which extends substantially perpendicular to the axis about which the sheaves of said second separate block rotate, load support means pivotally connected with said connector means, and securing means for selectively holding one of said separate blocks while operating the apparatus at a relatively high speed.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said first separate block has more sheaves rotatably supported thereby than said second separate block, said load support means being connected with said connector means at a point disposed nearer to said first separate block than said second separate block, the point of connection of said load support means being spaced from the points of connection of said first separate block and said second separate block in proportion to the number of sheaves supported by said separate blocks.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 including a cargo purchase lead block for receiving and guiding a portion of said cargo fall means, said cargo purchase lead block being disposed abreast the heel portion of the boom and substantially on the center line between said king posts.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,960,310 11/1960 Hull 254- 188 X 2,973,942 3/1961 Schaper 254188 2,994,513 8/1961 Bowerman et a]. 254188 X 10 3,110,403 11/1963 Sparrow et a1 212-3 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

A. L. LEVINE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. MULTI-SPEED PULLING APPARATUS COMPRISING FIRST BLOCK MEANS, SECOND BLOCK MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST SEPARATE BLOCK AND A SECOND SEPARATE BLOCK, ROPE MEANS REEVED ABOUT SAID FIRST AND SECOND BLOCK MEANS FOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTED SAID BLOCK MEANS, AND CONNECTOR MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND SEPARATE BLOCKS WITH ONE ANOTHER, SAID FIRST AND SECOND SEPARATE BLOCKS BEING INTERCONNECTED AT A GENERALLY RIGHT ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER. 